Off_the_Beaten_Path

Samm Hurst Erica Preston || Put a graphic here ||
 * || =Off the Beaten Path=

Overview
Here's where you'll convey the vision. Briefly describe the type of game or simulation, its contents and special features. Use this to hook the reader and to foreshadow the rest of the document. This section should be interesting and pithy. "Off the Beaten Path" is an iPhone application game set in a forest or woodsy environment. The objective is to survive the trek from one end of the forest to the other, with movement that progresses in a maze-like pattern causing the avatar to encounter a number of potential "obstacles" they must identify correctly to "safely" continue their progress. The game is played in three view images such as a "bird's eye" view to observe overhead the movement of the avatar, the "avatar" view looking forward at the immediate game tasks to be completed, and the "Q & A" view screen.

The tasks will be presented as Q & A [multiple choice] on the screen and will include topics such as identifying different animal tracks, animal sounds, animal scat, plants that are edible or not, and bugs/insects that are poisonous or not, etc. to provide a variety of fun choices for the player.

(Fun Fact: The only two known poisonous birds are the Hooded Pitohui (Pitohui dichrous, also called the "garbage bird") and the Ifrita (Ifrita kowaldi) from Papua, New Guinea. The toxin (homobatrachotoxin, a steroidal alkaloid) is concentrated in these bird's feathers and skin, and is obtained from poisonous insects or frogs that they eat.)
 * Cool Q & A sample (this "random fact" question is not the norm, but is kinda fun!):** Which of the following three birds are NOT dangerous to come across? A. Black-Hooded Antwren; B. Hooded Pitohui; C. Ifrita //Answer: A. Black-Hooded Antwren//

The game will display a timer in the right upper corner - so one of the objectives will be that the player will try to beat his/her time and improve his/her knowledge each time the game is played. We have not determined whether the timer should be set-minutes or cumulative running time. The player is also trying to collect points from the tasks so for every game bout played there will also be a total points displayed below the digital time clock. In an ideal technological setting [and with a great programmer] we could gather scores of every player and rank them according to best times and best points [which already happens in many games although I think some of these are truly fictitious]. We are still brainstorming what the "negative" response will be if an avatar misses a track or a hoot ... or eats a poisonous plant, etc.

Instructional Objective
What will the learners learn from this game (or more likely, what learning objectives are being reinforced by this game)? If it's for school use, where does it fit into the curriculum? (You can find links to curricular frameworks [|here]). If iPhones were distributed to students, this application would fit into a botany curriculum, 7th grade biology insect curriculum, biology mammal/foul/reptile (or vertebrate/invertebrate) curriculum, etc.
 * 1) Given a multiple choice question, a player will be able to correctly identify which plants are poisonous or not 100% of the time.
 * 2) Given a multiple choice question, a player will be able to correctly identify which insects are poisonous or not (or edible or not) 100% of the time.
 * 3) Given a multiple choice question, a player will be able to correctly identify which animal track matches which animal 100% of the time.
 * 4) Given a multiple choice question, a player will be able to correctly identify which animal scat comes from which animal 100% of the time.
 * 5) Given a multiple choice question, a player will be able to correctly identify which animal sound is made by which animal 100% of the time.

Learners
Who is the game designed for? Describe them in terms of their age, grade level, affinity towards the subject matter, and anything special about them that the reader should know. This game is designed for ages 12 and up, for anyone interested in nature, animals, insects, etc.

Context of Use Where would your game be used? At home? At school? In a training facility? If in a school, what accomodations would you need to make to do it in a typical classroom?
First, you must have an iPhone. Then, you can play it on a plane! You can play it on a train. But you cannot use it while driving a car, riding a bike, or if you are a conductor on a Metrolink train.

Is it designed to be played more than once? What would happen prior to the game? What would happen after it? Would it be used within a formal instructional setting or informally elsewhere? Would it be used by individuals or groups? Could it be used in a one-computer classroom by a group? Is it internet-savvy? Multiplayer? Is the game designed to be replayed multiple times? How long would a single playing of the game take? What platform(s) will it be developed for? The application is designed to be played more than once, in informal settings. A different maze and varied Q & A's will be displayed each game. Its competitive nature allows the learner to play as a single player to compete against the clock. The very first time a player plays the game, a login is necessary. Thereafter the player is automatically logged in, and in an ideal technological setting [and with a great programmer] scores of every player would be gathered and ranked according to best times and best points on the companion website. The amount of time it will take a learner to play the game ranges from one to five minutes respectively.

Scope
How big will this game be? About how much time will it take to play? What content is specifically included? Excluded? For an adventure game, tell how many "rooms" and objects there will be. For a quiz game, how many questions and categories. For a branching story, how many screens and how many main branches. The game will be designed for the small iPhone screen, taking advantage of three different screen views: bird's eye, avatar, and Q & A views. A single playing of the game will take roughly one to five minutes to complete. The content will consist of: different animal tracks, animal sounds, animal scat, plants that are edible or not, and bugs/insects that are poisonous or not, etc. There will be one maze per game played, and up to 10 Q & A questions.

Object of the Game
What's the game goal? What's the end state that players are striving for (e.g., to be the first to reach the Finish square, or to be the first to reach 100 points.) The object of the game is to survive the trek from one end of the woodsy maze to the other while beating the clock and gaining the most possible points. One of the objectives will be that the player will try to beat his/her time and improve his/her knowledge each time the game is played. We have not determined whether the timer should be set-minutes or cumulative running time. The player is also trying to collect points from the tasks so for every game bout played there will also be a total points displayed below the digital time clock. The question pops up, and the player must immediately decide to answer, or choose to take advantage of a 50/50. If a 50/50 is chosen, two of the four answers will be eliminated so that a player must chose between the remaining two, of which only one is the correct answer. Players will only earn 50% of the possible points if the 50/50 is used.

Competing Products
What's out there that covers the same content as this game? How is your game similar to others? How is it different and better? (You can check [|Downloads.com] for shareware and freeware competitors, the [|Games Domain] search engine for commercial products, and the [|Educational Resources catalog] for school-oriented titles

The following are available iPhone application games, similar in content to Off the Beaten Path:
 * 1) Animal Tracks
 * 2) Animal & Bird Sounds
 * 3) Deadliest Insects in the World
 * 4) Collection of Spiders
 * 5) Botany Buddy

Design Details
This is the heart of the document. It will serve as a blueprint for those who actually develop the game. The more specific you can be here, the less backtracking and expensive confusion there will be later. //Universal Elements// Describe and provide illustrations of the overall look and feel of the game. What style of graphics and sounds will be used? Cartoonish? Photorealistic? Wacky? Business-like? Colorful? Muted? //Specific Elements// The specifics from this point on will vary depending on the format of game that you're using. For adventure games, provide: For branching stories, provide: For quiz games, provide: For arcade games, provide: For simulations, provide: //Technical Elements// Describe the:
 * an overall map of the simulated world, showing its boundaries and major features
 * a description of the role the learner is playing while moving through the world
 * a description of the overall game goal the learner is trying to achieve
 * a flowchart showing all possible rooms and allowable moves
 * a decription of the obstacles that will challenge the learner
 * a list of all prizes or artifacts and their locations
 * profiles of all non-player characters
 * a description of the scoring system, if any
 * a sequence of sample screens showing how one moves and acts on the game
 * a flowchart of all major branches in the game
 * a description of the events within each of the major branches including the entry decision that starts the branch
 * sample screens showing a sequence of the story
 * a character dictionary describing the appearance, background, motivation, and other characteristics of everyone who appears in the story
 * a description of the categorization scheme used for questions
 * sample questions within each category showing questions at each level of difficulty
 * sample screens showing the sequence of question asking, learner input, and feedback
 * sample screens showing introductory material, high score pages, etc.
 * a description of the scoring system to be used
 * a description of the categorization scheme used for sprites moving on the screen
 * sample images within each category showing sprites at each level of difficulty
 * sample screens showing the sequence of animation, learner input, and consequences
 * sample screens showing introductory material, high score pages, etc.
 * a description of all user-manipulable variables in the game
 * a description of all output variables displayed
 * a description of the initial or default state of all variables
 * sample screens showing a sequence of situation, learner input, and result
 * sample screens showing introductory material, high score pages, etc.
 * a description of the mathematical and logical relationships that link the input variables and output variables (i.e., the underlying model of the simulation).
 * specific software needed to author the game
 * platform(s) the game would be developed for
 * file formats of graphics and sounds
 * method to accommodate multiple platforms (if that's being done)
 * data structures for any files used to save the game state

Motivational Issues
Describe how the game engages the learner. How does it make use of curiosity, challenge, control, fantasy, competition, cooperation, etc.? (No one game will do all of these things, so focus on the particular strengths of this particular game.) Make specific reference to the theoretical readings associated with this course.

Design Process
Describe the process you went through in putting the game together. What were your first thoughts? How did you enhance your ideas? What ideas did you consider and reject (and why?). How did you gather background information? What did you do to see if there are similar games out there? What did you do to get feedback on the idea? How did you flesh out the game to the point of having a playable prototype? How did you gather feedback from that? What lessons did you learn from this that you'll carry to your next game design project?